History Department, Chartiers Valley High School Present Vietnam Symposium

Vietnam veterans will share stories of combat and reentrance to civilian life at an upcoming symposium on campus.

The Vietnam Symposium will be held on Saturday, May 19, from noon to 2:30 p.m. in the Africa Room of the Duquesne Union. The Department of History has partnered with Chartiers Valley High School to make the event available to a wider audience.

For several years, Adjunct History Instructor Robert Rodrigues has organized the annual Vietnam Symposium at Chartiers Valley High School (where he teaches) to provide students insights into the experiences of the Vietnam War via the event’s panel of veterans who experienced it firsthand.

Rodrigues will give welcoming remarks at the symposium and offer historical context of the Vietnam War before introducing the panel of Vietnam veterans from a variety of military branches and roles. Panelists will engage in a candid discussion about their experiences in Vietnam and re-entry to civilian life afterward.

Attendees who register online by this Sunday, May 13, can attend for free, otherwise admission is $5 at the door. Light refreshments will be served. Donations for the Robert M. Rodrigues Fund scholarship, which is awarded to a Chartiers Valley High School senior each year, will also be accepted during the symposium.